


Happiness Can Be Found (If One Only Remembers to Turn on the Lights)

by LittleDisAwesome



Series: Wizarding World of Yoongi Min [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Agoraphobia, Alternate Universe - Great Britain, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Discussions of The Second Wizarding War, Failure to Meet Expectations, Fluff, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin Are Best Friends, Kneazles, M/M, People Know Yoongi as Rhys, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Slytherin Min Yoongi | Suga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 18:29:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9455003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleDisAwesome/pseuds/LittleDisAwesome
Summary: Six years after leaving Hogwarts, Yoongi hasn't lived up to any of the expectations people had had of him. Jimin doesn't care about any of it, he thinks Yoongi is fine no matter what. Even when he doesn't leave his home for weeks on end.Or the time Jimin falls in love with an agoraphobic shopkeeper, whose worst fear is being recognized by those with whom he attended school.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Harry Potter AU, and as such is based in Great Britain.  
> Yoongi is Welsh and has a very thick accent. He started Hogwarts in 2004 and finished in 2011.  
> Jimin is from Liverpool, and has an equally thick accent. He started Hogwarts in 2007 and finished in 2014.
> 
> ALSO, V IMPORTANT NOTE: there would have been no muggle-borns at Hogwarts when Yoongi started. The records of muggle-born witches and wizards were destroyed for any born between 1987 and May 2 1998. So it's like that there wouldn't be any at Hogwarts until 2009, unless somehow the records were recovered. This story is written with the presumption that those records were not fixed. 
> 
> This is just an excuse to talk about Harry Potter. I'm not sorry. There's like probably not even 2% magic in this entire monstrosity.

People had expected things out of Yoongi. He knew that. His grades in school had been more than good enough. He’d received ten N.E.W.T.S. but even before that people had expected great things. His parents had always told him he was destined for greatness. (“You’re a pure-blood, Yoongi, no pure-blood has ever been anything but great.”) But after he had received his wand, it felt as though people demanded even more from him. Cherry and dragon heartstring, thirteen-and-one-quarter inches. Brittle flexibility. A wand meant for one with great self-control.

During his time at Hogwarts he _had_ been prodigious.  _The brightest wizard of his age,_ they had said. Studying hard, succeeding in all of his classes. He’d taken his N.E.W.T.S. and then he’d left Hogwarts.

Six years later he was running a pet shop in Diagon Alley.

Every day people came in to buy owls, not having realized how much their child would _actually_ need one while they attended school or wanting to replace their recently deceased one as quickly as possible. Periodically people would come in for a cat. And those were the people he really liked. The felines in the store had far more personality than the owls, and those who desired a cat over an owl were generally much nicer (and smarter). A person desiring an owl wanted a useful bet that could do something for them. The people that came in for toads and cats (particularly those that came for cats) wanted a companion; something to love.

All in all, Yoongi had been a disappointment. He hadn’t kept in contact with anyone from his time at Hogwarts, afraid of what they would say. He had not done great things. He hadn’t done anything. His housemates would surely laugh at him, commenting that he was unworthy of his blood. The others would likely comment on his failures, likely laughing at him once they left.

His fear would come true soon, he was sure. Wizards married young, and they procreated young. Particularly when there had been nearly twenty years of peace. The students he had gone to school with had lived during the Second Wizarding War, but many of them had been too young to have memories of it. He’d only been five when the Battle of Hogwarts had occurred. Within four years he anticipated seeing the children he had at least met in passing during his time at school coming into his shop.

In the six years he had worked at the shop, he had somehow managed not to sell an animal to a single former classmate of his. At least none that he recognized. Enrollment at Hogwarts had been much larger his year than it had been since the First Wizarding War, but the years following his had been smaller again. Even so, he knew very few of the students by name. Or by face. That had probably made it easier to avoid people, so he was thankful for the problems he’d had during his schooling.

Every day he opened the shop at 8 o'clock in the morning, just in case an early riser would require a pet, and worked straight through the day until 6 o'clock in the evening when he closed. Then he would return to his flat above the shop, returning downstairs every hour until he went to bed just in case the animals needed something. The only time he wandered outside of the building was when he desperately needed groceries. As such, he had spent nearly the entirety of six years in the same building. The furthest he had wandered from his front door had been the curb out front, picking up the groceries from the delivery person. He didn't have any memories of wandering Diagon Alley (or London) even a single time since he had moved into the shop.

His parents had visited once, in his first year of ownership, but hadn’t even sent him an owl in at least four years. His greatest social endeavor was when deliveries came to the shop. Usually he would make small talk with the wizard who delivered food for the animals. But his favorite person in the world was the wizard in charge of delivering new cats when he sent a request; once every other month the wizard would come by with a truck full of cages with kittens and Yoongi would choose the ones he wished to have in the shop. Normally he was able to tell which animals would sell, he felt a great connection with animals anymore. Four years prior the man had talked him into picking out a kitten for himself and that was how he ended up with the grey kneazle (speckled with black on her sides) who roamed his home. The only thing he had probably ever loved.

That all changed though, on a Wednesday afternoon. He’d finished feeding each of the animals and was sat around, waiting for someone to come in. Things weren’t usually bustling in a pet shop. Not when students were in school. He did enough business in the summer months to keep the store open even when days would pass without a single visitor. He didn’t expect to see anyone for the remainder of the day, but sometimes people surprised him.

“Um. Is anyone in here?” The voice was familiar, but he wasn’t sure where he’d heard it before. It could have been someone yelling outside of the shop, or (even worse) someone he’d met during his time at school.  “Are you open?”

“We’re open.” Yoongi replied, walking out from behind the counter. Nothing had ever made him think about it, but he wondered if the counter couldn’t be seen from the front door. The owl perches hanging from the ceiling might just have been a distracting factor though. Perhaps he would think of it further once he had finished the sale. Probably not, though. “Welcome to Magical Menagerie.”

As he walked closer to the customer he realized that his worst fear had come true. Taehyung Kim had been three years behind Yoongi. A tall Gryffindor, who had managed to charm everyone at the school. Professors and students all loved him, and he’d never heard anyone say a negative thing about him. From what he’d heard, Taehyung had made a point to care for younger students regardless of their house. Something about him had charmed every person he came in contact with other than Yoongi.

“Rhys?” Taehyung narrowed his eyes as Yoongi had walked closer, using the name Yoongi had taken to using during his time at Hogwarts. People hadn’t been able to pronounce his name, and he had been sure his thick accent had only made it harder for them. Even in Cardiff people had struggled with his name, and he'd always wondered why his parents had forced it upon him. They had been born in Wales, just as he had, and it made no sense to give him a traditional name rather than a Western one. Taehyung, though, Taehyung had been popular enough that people had cared to learn how to pronounce his name and he had never taken a Western name.

“It’s Yoongi, but yeah.” Sighing he leaned against one of the cages. Eventually it was bound to happen, but he had hoped it would take longer than six years. The only reason they had even been aware of each other had been their shared ancestry, both Korean students in a predominantly Caucasian school. Yoongi had been aware of a few other Korean students, but had never bothered to befriend any of them. “How can I help you?” If things had been different (meaning if _he_ had been different) he doubted he would have been friends with Taehyung, though. The younger male had been too many years below him and far too popular. Yoongi couldn't even imagine a world in which he had the social skills to befriend someone as positive and charming as Taehyung Kim had been.

Taehyung tilted his head, seemingly trying to grasp the situation still. Even three years below Yoongi he had probably heard rumors about how well he had done in school. “You work here?” He asked, voice unsure.

“I own it.”

“You didn’t go work for the Ministry?” That had been expected of him. They’d even contacted him following his seventh year to try and convince him to work for them. But at that point in his life he hadn’t been able to even entertain the idea of going to work for the government. And even six years down the road (and admittedly in a much better place emotionally) he knew he wouldn’t be able to take such a job; hell it had probably been over a year since he had even used his wand. Magic wasn’t required to care for animals.

He sighed again. “I’ve been here for six years. I bought it a week after I left Hogwarts.” There was no need to share that much information with Taehyung, and he instantly regretted it. Surely he still had friends, and the news of Yoongi’s whereabouts would likely make its rounds. At the very least the short Gryffindor would learn of his location. In any case, Yoongi feared that his shop would suddenly become filled with visitors from his time for school; not that it was a reasonable fear, chances that anyone cared enough to come visit him were so slim they weren't worth even considering. “Did you want to buy an animal?”

“Yeah...” He started, but didn’t continue with the thought. As though Yoongi could read his mind. Taehyung needed to choose his own pet, it wouldn’t work if he expected Yoongi to choose for him. Just as the wand chose the wizard, the animal chose the owner. But, even still, Yoongi would try to lead Taehyung away from the cats that had any kneazle blood in them. His slim amount of knowledge regarding the younger male, led him to believe that a kneazle would never choose him. Being charming wasn't good enough to earn the interest of one of those amazing creatures.

“Would you like to look at owls, or toads? Perhaps you would be interested in a pygmy puff.” He asked as he moved further into the store. Watching in horror as Taehyung’s eyes moved towards one of the cats walking around the floor. The white feline mewled up at Taehyung, walking past him. Just at Yoongi had expected. Taehyung didn’t have the intelligence required to own a cat.

Taehyung hummed, bending down to get a closer look at the cat. He reached out for it, and the creature merely moved out of reach. “My roommate and I want a cat.”

His eyes slipped closed and he inhaled deeply before turning to look at Taehyung again. What sort of person came to get a pet without the other person with whom he would share the pet? The sort of person that didn’t _deserve_ a pet. At least in Yoongi’s humble opinion. Magical creatures couldn’t just be given to whomever, they needed to find the proper owner. “I can’t sell you a cat today.” Yoongi told him, forcing himself to sound pleasant. Not everyone cared for animals the way he did.

Taehyung dropped his arm, seemingly having been reaching for one of the cats, and his attention turned to Yoongi. Behind him an owl screeched and Taehyung flinched from the noise. Yoongi, however, had grown so used to it that he barely noticed the sound. “Why not?”

“You need to bring your roommate. I don’t sell cats to people if they plan to share, unless everyone is here.” He shrugged. It was irresponsible to get a pet with a roommate anyway, perhaps it would convince Taehyung not to get the pet.

The other male hummed softly, his gaze still on Yoongi. There seemed to be some thought going on in his head, but Yoongi didn’t expect much. “I’ll bring Jimin by tomorrow. We live in London, so it’s not too far.” Yoongi didn’t particularly care where Taehyung and Jimin lived. They hadn’t been friends at Hogwarts, and he wasn’t planning on writing a letter to either of them. “What is the best time to buy a cat?”

Yoongi wrinkled his nose. Clearly he knew nothing of animals. What had possessed him to think there was a _best time_ to buy a cat, Yoongi would never know. “There’s no best time. Just come whenever you want. As long as it’s before six. I won’t open just because you’re running late.”

If someone did show up after six, Yoongi would honestly probably open the store. He would hear the knocking, the walls weren’t thick. And any chance to give an animal a good home was a great thing. If someone wanted a pet enough to knock on the door of a closed store, they probably deserved one. And even if one of the animals didn't choose him, it wasn't as though Yoongi had anything else going on.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then!” The smile Yoongi received was pointlessly bright. Yoongi didn’t like Taehyung any more than he had when they were at school. Any more than he liked any person he’d ever met, if he was being honest.

With a wave, Taehyung exited the store and Yoongi sighed in relief. Even the short period of time he’d spent with Taehyung was enough to wear him out for at least the rest of the day. Chances were he probably wouldn’t recover even by the time Taehyung and Jimin arrived the next day.

 

Just as he’d expected, Yoongi was still exhausted when Taehyung burst into the store early the next morning. Normally excited people didn’t bother him. It would have been strange for someone to not be excited while purchasing a pet. Yoongi probably wouldn’t sell to someone who wasn’t at least someone joyous about their new animal. If they didn’t care on the first day, how could he trust they would love them for the rest of the animal’s life? But twenty minutes with Taehyung had been enough to wear him out to the point that he’d considered not even opening the shop.

“Jiminnie and I are here to buy a cat!” Taehyung yelled into the store when he didn’t see Yoongi. “Can you help us pick one?”

Sighing softly, Yoongi walked out from behind the cages. Thursdays were cleaning day. He usually spent the entirety of his day deep cleaning each of the cages so the animals would have a clean place to sleep if they chose to climb into one. Yoongi would never force an animal into a cage unless he absolutely had to do so. That only occurred when one was ill and needed to be quarantined, and he could only remember having done it three times in the six years he had owned the shop. For the most part the animals had remained healthy, perhaps due to their magical qualities or because of his care.

Yoongi took two steps further, coming to a stop in the middle of the store. First his eyes fell onto Taehyung, he was dressed the same as the day before a pair of blue robes similar to those the elder generations generally wore, and seemed just as excited as the day prior. Taehyung's words from the evening before remained in his head and he turned his head to look for Jimin. Surely the other hadn't lied about his presence. When he saw the other male he couldn't keep himself from frowning. It was the loud Gryffindor he had remembered being friends with Taehyung. “We have to find one that likes both of you.” The two of them had known _of_ each other, but he didn’t think he’d ever actually met Jimin in his time at Hogwarts. It did make him curious, though, as to whether or not Taehyung and Jimin were simply roommates. Even he had heard the gossip before he had finished school.

“How will we know?” Jimin asked, his voice much softer than Yoongi remembered. His only memories of Jimin were of him yelling with Taehyung, far too excited about magic for someone who had grown up around it. Nothing anyone expected out of a person at Hogwarts. If he’d remembered correctly, though, the shorter wizard had also taken a Western name.

Yoongi moved closer to Jimin and Taehyung, glancing down at one of the felines rather than making eye contact with his customers. “It’s hard to describe.”  If he saw one of the cats taking to the two wizards he would be able to point it out, but he didn’t think he would be able to explain it to someone. The cat just chose the human. It would take to them.

“Can we have one of the ones with the lion tails?” Taehyung asked, reaching out to try and pet one of the kneazles. The red feline-creature let him touch her, but didn’t stop to give the wizard any attention. It wasn’t the right one. Taehyung could probably tell because he didn’t reach out for it again.

As Taehyung moved closer to the felines, Jimin stepped to the side. It seemed that Taehyung was the one in charge of their relationship. The one who really wanted the cat. Yoongi would have to see how Jimin interacted with it before he would be able to sell it to them. “Thought y’name was Rhys.” Jimin spoke to him, his eyes shifting around the room to try and take in everything. There were at least a hundred cages stacked up on each wall of the room, and animals climbing all over the room. Owls, poison snails, cats, and a jeweled tortoise that had had come with the shop. For some reason it had never been purchased, and Yoongi had no idea how long it had been there.

“People couldn’t pronounce Yoongi.” He bent down to pick up one of the half-kneazles, letting the creature drape itself over his shoulder. They were all fond of him, but in six years he hadn’t ever experienced one taking to him. And for that he was thankful. As much as he loved them all, it would have been heartbreaking for them to start to bond to him, just for him to have to sell them. They were intelligent enough to know that he was not going to be their wizard. “Picked a name to go with the accent.” Rhys had been a common name in Cardiff at the time, and it had been easy enough for the English to pronounce. The Scottish students had butchered it, but in his opinion they butchered the English language even worse than the Welsh had done.

“Understandable.” After a few seconds, Jimin took his eyes off of the animals and turned to face Yoongi. “A few of me classmates called me Jamie. I think they might’ve thought that was me name, though. Jimin, Jamie. S’quite close.” He shrugged, and Yoongi couldn’t stop himself from nodding. Hearing the shorter wizard say his own name explained it. The heavy scouse accent made the two names sound very similar. “Not everyone is lucky enough to sound like Tae does.”

At that Yoongi let out a chuckle. The easy London accent certainly did make Taehyung sound far posher than either Jimin or Yoongi could ever hope to sound. “He lucked out on the accent.” Yoongi could admit it. People certainly didn’t dream about sounding as though they were from Wales.

“Sounds like a posh twat, if y’think ‘bout it.”

Yoongi snorted, not wanting to agree even if it was true. Taehyung was a customer, and he didn’t tend to speak poorly of customers. No matter how much he would have preferred if they weren’t in his shop. “Why’re the two of you buying a pet together?” He asked, not wanting to make too many presumptions either. It seemed like a casual way to ask if the pair were in a relationship, to confirm the gossip he had once heard.

“Figure we’ll live together for a while.” Jimin admitted, shrugging. “He’s me best mate, s’not too many romantic options out there for us.”

Nothing could have prevented Yoongi from scoffing at Jimin’s words. Both he and Taehyung were attractive young men, witches were probably lined up to have a chance with them. They weren’t trapped inside their homes like Yoongi. "The magical population isn't that small." Last he heard there were at least 5,000 magical folks in Great Britain. While it wasn't a huge population, it was large enough that people like Taehyung and Jimin would be able to find dates.

“There aren’t a great number of gay wizards out there.” Jimin told him, and Yoongi couldn’t stop himself from turning to stare at the other. His jaw slack. Although he had heard the rumors, it had been the last thing Yoongi had expected to hear. The wizarding community was still incredibly prejudiced. Gay wizards were very likely to either spend their lives alone or simply marry a witch to cover it up. Yoongi knew that better than anyone else. At least he thought he had. “Pickings are slim.”

“Even slimmer when you can’t leave the house.” He admitted, the words feeling strange in his mouth. It was probably the first time he’d ever actually admitted to his failures. Even his own parents remained unaware of the fact that he hadn’t truly left his home in years. “People aren’t looking for dates when they come to pick a pet.”

Jimin nodded. The judgment Yoongi had expected didn’t come. Nothing could have shocked him more. He had been sure Jimin would make a joke about people unable to leave their homes, but it didn’t come. “What d’y’mean?” He tilted his head, his gaze fully removed from the animals and Taehyung for the first time since their arrival. Questions shone in his eyes, and he opened his mouth several times as though words were on the tip of his tongue, but he left it at the single question.

Once the words were out in the air, Yoongi turned away from Jimin so he could watch Taehyung more carefully. It was his job to watch customers to see if they had been chosen yet. He couldn't be remiss in his duty to the animals, even when he had accidentally begun speaking about his personal life. None of the kneazles had chosen Taehyung yet, and Yoongi seriously doubted they would. Perhaps he could talk them into buying a snail. “I don’t, really, go outside.” The words sounded strange. It sounded more pathetic than he’d meant for it to sound. “Ever.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.” He nodded, glancing over at Taehyung to see one of the black kneazles jumping up onto the wizard’s back. Apparently it was a bit defective. They were supposed to choose intelligent owners. “I think that one likes him. Want to go see if it likes you as well?”

It seemed as though Jimin wanted to continue speaking about what Yoongi had said, but when Taehyung glanced back he gave in and walked over to his taller friend. The kneazle leaned in to smell him, and made a pleased noise. The feline stretched his body out so he could rest his body partially on each of the wizards hoping to adopt it. It was a simple motion. But it was there.

Nothing could have shocked Yoongi more. Kneazles weren’t the easiest of pets to home. And normally they didn’t go for people like Taehyung and Jimin. Perhaps the two of them would be roommates for a long while. The kneazle was more likely to know than any of them were, and Yoongi trusted their opinion. If he wanted the both of them, then Yoongi wasn’t going to be the one to stop it. “He wants you, it seems.” The feline meowed at him, glancing up at the shopkeeper for a short second before his attention returned fully to the wizards he wished to go home with.

Taehyung looked up at him, beaming. That was the part of the job that Yoongi loved. People got to leave his shop happy, and an animal found a home. Animals deserved homes more than anything else in the world. It was even greater when the pet was the one to choose the human. “Does that mean we get to take him home?” Taehyung asked, rubbing the feline’s back.

Technically the answer was yes. But, despite the fact that it had once been Yoongi’s greatest fear, he found that he really wanted the two wizards to return to his shop. The short time he had spent visiting with Jimin had made him realize how lonely he had been for the six year prior to their visit. And so he lied. “You’ll need to fill out registration forms.” That part was true, but the Ministry had probably never turned down a license for kneazle ownership. Yoongi always allowed people to take the kneazle home the same day. “The Ministry of Magic will need to approve it, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to take him home.”

Taehyung frowned slightly, looking at the black feline between his legs and Jimin’s making Yoongi feel so bad he nearly reconsidered his choice. He really wanted Jimin to return the following day though. “Is there any way we can take him home tonight?”

Yoongi bit his lip, looking at the feline. The animal had taken to the two wizards and would probably react poorly to them leaving the shop. He couldn’t do that to the feline. “You can take him home, but you’ll need to return tomorrow to pick up the license.”

It was something he could mail to them, but making them come pick it up served his purpose and didn’t harm the kneazle. “Can we name him?” Jimin asked, playing with the plume on the kneazle’s tail. Yoongi nodded and the two wizards leaned in to whisper to each other. Their bodies turned into each other, Taehyung's ear pressed against Jimin's lips before he pulled back just enough to switch positions. He heard nothing more than the sounds of human voices. He doubted he could have understood the words even if he had gotten closer. “We’ve decided upon Sir Tibbles.”

Yoongi nearly hit his head on the cage behind him. He couldn’t believe he was going to allow an animal to go into a home to be called Sir Tibbles. If that was what they wanted, though, that would be what the feline would be called. Sir Tibbles would return to whatever flat Jimin and Taehyung shared. “I’ll start the forms.”

He pushed himself away from the wall, his eyes still on Sir Tibbles, and began his walk to the counter. The forms would take a little while to fill out, and he knew he should have started them earlier but he hadn’t expected Taehyung would actually be chosen by one of the kneazles.

As he worked he listened to the two wizards speak to each other. _He’s different than he was at Hogwarts_. Taehyung did his best to whisper, but he failed. Yoongi wanted to roll his eyes. Taehyung had successfully been whispering moments earlier as the two attempted to name their new cat, but when he said something that _should_ have been kept private everyone on Diagon Alley was probably capable of hearing it.

_Like y’would know Taehyung. Y’weren’t friends with him. No one was friends with him._

At Jimin’s words Yoongi forced his attention fully onto the forms. Not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation. Hearing people’s opinions of him was probably one of Yoongi’s least favorite things in the entire world. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had said something pleasant about him in regards to something other than his grades. And his grades hadn’t mattered in six years.

“How much for Sir Tibbles, a collar, a bowl, and some food?” Jimin asked, suddenly much closer to Yoongi than he had been last time Yoongi had paid him any mind.

For a second his mind went blank. Part of him trying to convince himself that he wanted to know what Jimin had said about him to Taehyung, and the other part unable to think about business. It took a few seconds (in which Jimin stared at him expectantly) but eventually he figured it out. “Fifteen galleons for Sir Tibbles, Four galleons nine knuts for his supplies, and another three galleons for the registration. Twenty-one galleons and nine knuts total.”

Jimin nodded, digging in his pocket for the required money. With a smile the younger wizard held out the appropriate amount of money and dropped it into Yoongi’s hand. Nodding, Yoongi dropped the money into the register before turning back to his forms.

“I’ll need your address for the forms.” He slid the form over to Jimin, watching as the other wrote his address down on it. A small voice in the back of his head telling him he should take the address off the form so he _could_ write Jimin an owl if he wanted to do it. That was wrong though. Yoongi knew that. “You’re all set.” He smiled, looking over at Sir Tibbles again. He seemed content and that was what really mattered.

“We can go now?” Taehyung asked, easing himself up off of the ground without placing the feline down. Yoongi had no doubt the two of them would care for their pet. Taehyung already seemed to truly love the animal.

“You can go. Don’t forget to come get the license tomorrow though.”

 

The following afternoon Jimin returned to the shop. Yoongi smiled softly, pleased when he noticed that Taehyung hadn’t tagged along. It meant that he’d be able to speak to the other wizard for a few minutes without distraction. “Yoongi?” The soft voice called out. Yoongi definitely needed to reorganize the shop so people could see him better. "Are y’in?"

“Welcome back, Jimin.” He smiled as he stepped out from behind the counter and into Jimin’s line of vision.

“Hey there.” The shorter wizard smiled, walking closer to the counter. “I came to get the license for Sir Tibbles.” He spoke as though Yoongi wouldn’t remember what had been discussed the day before. Perhaps he believed the shop was busier than it really was, or he thought Yoongi had gone so defective in the six years since he had finished school that he couldn’t remember a conversation they’d had.

“Of course. The Ministry sent it in this morning.”

He didn’t think the Ministry ever even looked at the forms. It probably wasn’t even a person signing them, just a stamp moving of its own accord. “Do they approve every form?” He asked, coming to a stop directly in front of the counter causing Yoongi to step back behind it. This was a business transaction, not a friendly encounter.

“Yeah, it seems that way. I think I refuse more adoptions a year than the Ministry ever has to be honest.”

“Y’refuse adoptions?”

He shrugged. It probably didn’t seem like a solid business plan, but he cared more about the animals than he did about money. There were enough good adoptions a year that he didn’t have to worry about keeping the shop open. “I turned Taehyung down the first day he came in.”

“He didn’t tell me tha’.”

“I wouldn’t let him adopt a pet for both of you on his own. The cats usually get to choose who they go home with, they’re smart enough to know if they want to go home with someone.” He bent down to pick up one of the cats, smiling when he leaned in to lick his cheek. “Normally I wouldn’t let roommates pick a pet together, since eventually someone is going to move out. But Sir Tibbles,” He snorted softly at the name, “wanted to go home with both of you.”

“Like I said, s’not a huge population of gay wizards. We’ll probably end up with Muggles in a few years. But for now, s’no chance of one of us moving out.”

Yoongi shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t his business if the two of them married Muggles, or wizards. Or if they just married each other; that’s what he would have done. “There’s a higher population of gay Muggles.” He replied, not sure what else to say. “From my understanding, they’re more open about it as well.”

“Yeah, they are.” Jimin took the form off of the counter, glancing at it. The official Ministry seal still seemed damp, and Yoongi noticed how careful he was not to touch it. His eyes watching the form closely before he gripped the sides of it; seemingly to avoid pressing his thumb into the seal. He would be a good pet owner. “Me da’s a Muggle, Mam's a witch, we lived in a Muggle neighborhood in 'Pool and there were plenty of gays. No one ever seemed to pay mind to it, least s'far as I could tell.”

“There’s a few in Cardiff, call 'em poofters down there.” He’d heard the term on the street a few times as a child, but he’d never thought much of it. Had no opinion on if it was negative or neutral. Not that it had mattered, he hadn’t returned to Cardiff since the summer before his seventh year at Hogwarts. He hadn’t even been certain he had been gay until after he’d purchased the shop.

Jimin glanced up when he heard the word poofter, nodding slightly. “I think s'meant to be negative.” He added, not sounding bothered by it though.

“I don’t hear anything like that around here, though. It could happen, I guess, outside the shop.” He couldn’t tell anyone what people around Diagon Alley said. He didn’t think he’d ever met any of his neighbors, and he certainly didn’t know what shops were around his other than the apothecary across the street. And that was only because he could see the word ‘apothecary’ from his window. “You’d know better than me.”

Jimin shrugged. “No one really says anything.” It seemed like a lie, but Yoongi wasn’t going to push. They weren’t friends. “People assume I’m dating Taehyung.” A small shudder moved through Jimin’s body and Yoongi chuckled slightly. They were too close to date, Yoongi had heard of it happening. “Two gays living together and all. But other than that, don't ever hear anyone say something negative.”

 Up until the day before, Yoongi hadn’t been aware of meeting any other gay wizards. Some had probably come into the shop, but it wasn’t as though it was one of the questions he asked before adopting out a pet. The gender of person someone dated didn’t matter to an animal. "Magic folk aren't particularly open about their prejudices. Not anymore, at least. It went out of style couple’a decades ago."

Jimin looked at him curiously, tilting his head slightly. He still held onto the license. “You really don’t go outside?”

Yoongi couldn't keep himself from frowning. It had been something he admitted to, but he hadn't wanted to speak about it. "Every once in a while I’ll step out to the curb.” He did his best to try and keep the pride out of his voice. Even walking out the front door took a great deal of convincing. Each time he did it, he honestly felt as though his heart would burst. His lungs became tight, and even death seemed preferable to walking out the door. Simply thinking about going outside had started making him feel like something was sitting on his chest.

“How long?”

“How long what?”

Jimin put the license down. It seemed that he would stay longer. Yoongi wasn’t sure if he liked it or if he wanted to close the shop down and return to his flat to hide. “How long’ve you been, you know, inside?” It didn’t seem hostile. Yoongi had no impression that Jimin was making fun of him, it was just pure curiosity.

Sighing, Yoongi reached for his wand. He could only hope that the spell would actually work. The last time he’d summoned something had been well over two years. He waved it casually, summoning two chairs. One slammed into a tower of collars, knocking them over, but otherwise they settled perfectly next to them. It was polite to offer a seat to guests. Taking the lead, he dropped down into one of the green chairs, leaning back in it to make himself comfortable. Jimin followed after him, not waiting for an invitation. “It’s been six years.”

Jimin’s mouth fell slack, staring at Yoongi. It was the expected reaction. He couldn’t think of anyone that would remain inside their own home for six years straight. Had he been _normal,_ he knew that it would be incredibly lonely. But it was his life, and maybe it was hard, but it was what he had. “Six years?”

“A week after I finished Hogwarts.” He shrugged. No point in lying. “Bought the shop, haven’t left since. I, um, can't really leave.”

“Maybe, um, maybe I could come by from time to time? I’m sure it gets lonely here.” If anyone other than Jimin had offered, Yoongi probably would have declined. He had gone six years without a desire to invite anyone into his life. Probably even longer than that; he couldn’t remember trying to make friends even during his time at Hogwarts. Or the eleven years prior to his life at Hogwarts. The two times Jimin had come into the shop had been incredibly pleasant, though.

For the first time Yoongi could remember he wanted to speak to someone. He could see himself sending owls to Jimin, asking him to come by the shop for a visit, or being excited when the other dropped by to see him. He didn't know exactly what that meant. Instead of trying to think about it, he nodded his head, not wanting the other to think he was going to be turned down. The offer of friendship was strange, but on this particular occasion Yoongi was grateful. "I'd like it if you came here." His voice sounded tight, even in his own head. Those words had never left his mouth in the six years he had owned the store. The desire for a visitor.

Jimin smiled at him, his eyes nearly disappearing as he did. His small hands taking the form again once his eyes had opened. The seal seemed dry now and Jimin carefully folded the piece of parchment so he could slide it into his bag. "Tae and I own a shop just down the road, did he tell you?"

Just as Yoongi had expected, he really didn't know any of the shops on the street. For all he knew everything had changed since the last time he had gone outside. Surely Ollivander's was still there, but anything could have happened he supposed. "He didn't." Not that he had asked, he hadn't been curious until Jimin had brought it up. "What sort of shop?"

"Oddities." The younger wizard replied, his head turning when one of the owls screeched. "We sell some Muggle goods and whatever magical goods we feel like selling. Aurors buy a lot of our stuff. Sneakoscopes, foe-glasses, bottomless chests. We sell a strangely high number of dark detectors. Maybe something is happening that none of us know about."

Yoongi nodded slightly. Most people didn't expect details when they asked simple questions, but if Jimin wanted to tell him more about the shop then Yoongi would listen. It wasn't as though he had anything to add to the conversation. Sure, he loved the animals. He loved each and every one of them, even the poison snails, but he didn't think he could talk about it so easily. Conversation had never been his strong suit.

His kneazle jumped up into his lap, its paws kneading into his legs as she made herself more comfortable. She was unused to him sitting during business hours and seemed content to take advantage of his vulnerability. "This is Holly." He told Jimin, resting his hand on the feline's back to rub at her spine gently. "She's the only one not for sale, she's mine."

Jimin smiled again, seeming oddly comfortable in Yoongi's presence, and reached over to allow Holly to sniff his hand. The sign of someone who knew animals. It made him feel even more comfortable with the fact that he had sold Sir Tibbles to Jimin. "S’good you have a pet too. It'd be sad if you didn't have one of your own."

“Why is that?”

“You sell pets to other people, so they can be happy. Shouldn’t you get to be happy as well?”

He’d never thought of it that way. He hadn’t ever really cared about making the humans happy when he made sales, either though. His concern had always been with making the animals happy. It made sense though, wizards made animals happy and animals made wizards happy. “She’s a good cat.” Was the only thing he could think to say in response to Jimin’s question.

Happy was a relative term, he supposed. He loved his shop and he loved his cat, but those things didn’t mean he was happy. He wasn’t happy. That was something he knew and had accepted as part of his life. He had never been happy. Information about his mental state was none of Jimin’s business though so he didn’t bring it up.

“Sir Tibbles s’already made himself at home.”

“Kneazles are like that. Before you know it, you’ll think he’s your owner. They’re much smarter than humans. That’s why they’re hard to keep.” His eyes remained on Holly as he spoke, feeling more comfortable talking about the animals than anything else. He had always felt more comfortable talking about information related topics than anything social or personal. It was why he had done so well in school, he was sure. “You’ll have to buy food regularly.”

“Why did you buy a shop, instead of going to the Ministry?”

Yoongi inhaled deeply. For some reason he hadn’t expected Jimin to ask that. It was a good question, and he should have expected it. But for some reason he had let himself hope that his fears hadn’t been true. People would only care why he hadn’t lived up to expectations. “I was unwell.” He admitted, not wanting to go too far into detail. Unwell hardly described what had been wrong with him, but the thought of telling Jimin exactly what had been wrong was too much. “Clearly I’m unwell, I haven’t gone anywhere in six years.”

A soft ‘oh’ came from Jimin. He nodded his head, eyes not quite meeting Yoongi’s when he looked up. Yoongi wanted to change the subject, he opened his mouth to do so, but before he could Jimin stood up. “I’ve got to get back to Tae.”

Just as expected. Jimin wanted information about why Yoongi had failed, and once he had gotten something he was ready to leave. Yoongi bit his lip but didn’t protest. He didn’t enjoy spending time with himself, Jimin had the option to leave. Of course he would want to do so. “You know where to find me if you ever wish to come visit.” He smiled, easing himself up to his feet carefully so he didn’t have to put Holly down.

He watched as Jimin walked out of the store, not expecting to see the younger wizard ever again.

 

As Yoongi had expected, two weeks passed and Jimin didn’t come by the shop again. Taehyung came by once, to ask if they could give their pet meat from the dinner table (yes, in moderation) but other than that he heard nothing from the wizards. That was exactly how Yoongi had once enjoyed life. People came in, they left, and Yoongi only saw them when they needed something in particular and happened to be in Diagon Alley. He delivered most pet supplies, so he rarely had people in the shop more than once.

But he _wanted_ Jimin to come in and talk to him. He actually longed to make a friend for the first time in his life, and it seemed that it wouldn’t be possible. His life returned to how it had once been. He opened at 8 o’clock in the morning, worked through the day, and then closed at 6 o’clock in the evening. It was still mid-October so the slow season continued. He’d sell a pet a day, chat with the new owner about how to care for the pet. But otherwise it was just him and the animals.

“Welcome to Magical Menagerie.” He called out when he heard the bell ring on the front door. The only new addition he’d made to the store in years. “Are you here for a new pet?” It was a quarter off closing, but that didn’t really matter to him. He had nothing else planned.

“Yoongi?”

It was Jimin’s voice. But now that he’d taken to greeting customers, he couldn’t pretend that he had stepped upstairs. It had taken two weeks, but he had started to get over the disappointment he’d felt every time someone other than the shorter wizard had walked into the shop. “I’m here.” He replied, not moving from behind the counter.

“Y’close up soon, right?”

“Fifteen minutes or so. Depending on what you need.”

“I brought dinner by.” Jimin held up a bag, showing it to Yoongi as he walked closer to the counter. “I thought once y’closed up we could go upstairs so y’could eat.”

Yoongi glanced at the bag curiously. Jimin’s sudden presence didn’t make any sense to him. People didn’t generally disappear for two weeks and then reappear with dinner. At least that was his understanding of things. “Why?” He asked dully, not sure what else he could say.

“Thought y’might be hungry.”

Yoongi nodded, turning his attention back to the register count. Despite being mid-October he had sold two owls and a toad that day, meaning he had a greater register count than usual. “How is Sir Tibbles?” He asked, knowing it was something he could talk about without too much work. “Is he adjusting well?”

“S’good, seems really happy.” Jimin placed the plastic bag down on the counter, it seemed that he had gone to get food from outside of Diagon Alley. They didn’t use such things in the wizarding world, at least as far as he knew. “Tae took him to meet his da.”

Yoongi nodded, not wanting to participate too much in the conversation. It was more important for him to finish counting the money in the register. The night before he’d been nearly close enough to have a currier come to make a delivery to Gringotts for him. He was fairly certain he’d need to have one come the following day.

“His da’s a Muggle like mine, he lives in London though.” Jimin continued, seemingly wanting to fill the air. Yoongi supposed for some people it was hard to sit in silence. “His Mam was a witch, she passed away in the war. Thought they’d be safe in London.” Yoongi listened to what he was saying, but probably wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what the conversation had been about if he was asked to recall it later. “Dolohov.”

“What about him?” Yoongi asked, curious as to why someone would add the name of a known Death Eater to the conversation. Most people avoided their names.

Small fingers messed with some of the papers on Yoongi’s counter. “He got Tae’s Mam.”

Yoongi nodded. It wasn’t something normally discussed in polite company, and Yoongi didn’t know how to respond to it. Many people in his house had had parents in Azkaban, and he knew people assumed his parents had been involved in _that_ mess. A pure blood Slytherin.

“His Da told him about the wizarding world, as best he could, but a Muggle’s a Muggle, yeah?” At this point Yoongi was certain Jimin was just trying to think of things to talk about. Things were very clearly awkward. But that tended to happen when someone disappeared for two weeks, at least Yoongi thought so. “Think he probably’d’ve preferred if Tae was a Muggle like him.

“Would your dad have preferred that?”

Jimin tilted his head, watching as Yoongi started placing money into his courier bag. The participation from Yoongi seemed to have shocked him, or perhaps the question was offensive. He was never too sure how to keep himself from offending people on accident. “Nah, s’glad my brother and I’re wizards. Means we can show him things like kneazles.”

“Both mine are wizards. Neither were involved in the war.” Jimin nodded slightly, his eyes still on Yoongi’s hand. Having been a Gryffindor Jimin probably hadn’t been accustomed to people having to indicate whether or not their parents had been on the losing side of the Second Wizarding War. It was often one of the first conversations students in Slytherin had though. Those who said nothing were usually the children of former followers. “You can go upstairs if you want. I just have to send a message to Gringotts then I’ll lock the door.”

“Alright.”

Yoongi watched as Jimin disappeared up the steps, wondering if it had been a good idea to send him. No one had ever been inside of his flat before. Not since he had moved in at least. And he couldn’t remember if he’d left his boxers on the floor or if he’d put them away like an adult. Chances were he’d left them on the floor as though he was some sort of savage.

Forcing the thoughts from his head he grabbed a scrap of parchment and a quill. He scrawled out ‘ _Please send a courier to MM to pick up funds in the morning._ ’ He folded it in half and tied it to the leg of one of the owls. Fortunately, they were all willing to take letters for him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to get any business done.

Once he had seen the owl out the door, he locked it and turned to walk up the stairs. Might as well have dinner, and having it with Jimin was better than cooking he supposed. Sighing softly he walked up the narrow staircase, the third step creaking as it always did. “Sorry about how the flat looks.” He called out, before he even walked inside.

“Why? It looks nice.”

Once he reached the top step he turned the doorknob and walked into the flat. In the six years he had lived there, he hadn’t bothered to decorate it. Odd bits of furniture had appeared in the apartment over time, but none of it truly went together. Jimin’s use of the word ‘nice’ made him fear what Taehyung’s and Jimin’s apartment looked like.  They seemed like the kind of people who would live in a crazy apartment.

Walking inside he looked around, wanting to see if he actually had picked up his flat before he had gone downstairs to work. Surprisingly it seemed that he’d even washed his dishes. For some reason he had chosen to be an adult that morning and he could not have been more grateful. “Did you clean for me?” He asked, not having any memory of cleaning before he had left that morning.

“No? It was like this when I got here, why would I clean for you?”

“I just don’t remember cleaning up my breakfast before I went to work this morning.”

“Oh, well y’must’ve.” With Yoongi in the apartment, Jimin started taking food out of the bag and setting it out on the table. “Got this from a pub down t’road from T’Leaky Cauldron. Tae’s Da takes us there often.”

He had been right; the food had come from a Muggle restaurant. “Thank you for picking up dinner.” It had been very nice, even if Yoongi didn’t know why Jimin had done it. “It’s nice not having to cook.” He figured he could try to enjoy the conversation while he had it, he had no idea if Jimin would up and disappear again.

Jimin nodded, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he sat out the plasticware. “Tae an’ I don’t cook often. Normally we jus’ go to Muggle restaurants.”

“I cook most nights, there aren’t a great number of places that bring food by the shop, so I don’t have much a choice, do I?”

“Have you ever… tried to go outside?” He asked, as though something so simple would be the answer to his problem.

Yoongi had tried many times to leave his shop, but never made it past the curb. Even thinking about taking a step further made him feel as though the world was collapsing upon him, and he would give up. It felt as though there was something physically holding him in the shop, tied tightly around his throat to ensure he could never leave. “Many times. In the first couple of years I tried a great number of times. More recently, though, I don’t even make an attempt at it. I know I can’t.”

“Do you think you’ve been cursed?”

He took his seat, motioning at the other box of food to let Jimin know he was welcome to take a seat. “It’s not a magic thing.” The wizarding world had never been particularly well adept at handling mental illness. Wizards seemed to ignore the problems until they became severe enough to commit the individual to St. Mungos. And Yoongi certainly wasn’t going there; even if it meant he never went further than the curb in front of his shop again. “It’s just a mental thing.”

With a nod, Jimin took the seat and started eating. As someone with a Muggle parent, Yoongi expected he would be able to understand. Muggles, allegedly, dealt with mental illness more successfully than wizards. “Maybe one day it’ll be cured?”

“Maybe one day.”

“I’ll jus’ have to keep bringing y'food until that day then, won’ I?”

“If you want to.” Yoongi didn’t have any expectations this time. The last time Jimin had promised to visit him, two weeks had gone by without word from the younger wizard. Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, taking a bite of the meal he had been brought. It seemed to have been sat out for a while, but the taste was still fairly decent. He could enjoy it. “You’ll know where to find me.”

Jimin nodded, his gaze turning away from Yoongi so he could focus on the meal. It wasn't particularly enjoyable, Yoongi though, having someone wander in whenever they felt like it and then disappear when they didn't feel like spending time with him. It was worse when it was someone he might ( _might_ ) want to be friends with, than it was when his parents did the exact same thing. As they had done for his entire life.

He didn't return his attention to Jimin again. Instead he focused on the Shepherd's Pie he had been provided with, stirring it slightly so he could get a some potatoes with every bite he took. Even cold potatoes remained the best part of any meal. He was certain he had always thought so.

"How, um, did y'manage to take classes at Hogwarts?" Jimin asked, his voice quiet and he kept his eyes pointed at his meal.

Yoongi shrugged, still not giving Jimin attention. He wasn't meant for these sorts of situations. "I just went." That had been how it had been. When he was at Hogwarts he was anxious, of course, every morning he'd woken up feeling ill knowing that he wasn't alone and safe. For seven years of his life he spent every day with a sharp pain in his lower stomach, slowly worsening as the day continued, and the slight desire to vomit every time he walked out of the Slytherin dungeons. Even in his seventh year, Yoongi was surprised every time he did something correctly in class; always afraid his anxiety would render him useless. It had never happened though, not even once.

"Maybe you were cursed." He offered again, as though he had figured everything out. Just like a Gryffindor. "It is strange that it happened so suddenly after you graduated, isn't it?"

Yoongi sighed, he had been fully reminded as to why he had never brought up his condition with anyone. His parents would have assumed the same thing. He supposed it was a reasonable assumption though, he had once been able to go outside. He'd even gone to Hogsmeade once or twice during his time at school. But he knew it wasn't a curse; it was just the continuation of the problems he had suffered through for his entire life.

"I'm certain I was not cursed." He replied, his voice clearly indicating how much he didn't wish to continue the conversation. "How long have you owned the shop with Taehyung?" He asked, hoping it would change the topic completely.

"Taehyung bought it three years ago when he graduated, like you did. I went and played for Puddlemere United for two years, but decided to come work with Tae instead of continuing with a career in Quidditch."

Quidditch. He wondered what position the other had played, but his tongue felt like it was curling back into his throat. The very thought about someone else going out and having a career made the anxiety start to build up in his stomach and chest. He couldn't even imagine doing anything else, and the mention of other careers was horrible. It felt like his throat would close. "Th-" He attempted to react to what Jimin had told him, but his tongue was too heavy. Instead of answering he simply nodded his head and took another bite of his meal.

"It was always too much work getting permission to bring me da to matches." He laughed softly, clearly not sensing Yoongi's discomfort. It was preferable that way, Yoongi would probably have time to calm down before Jimin noticed he wasn't participating in the conversation. "Ministry still considers it a violation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, despite the fact that the Muggle parent of a wizard would already be more than aware of magic."

 _That_ was something Yoongi knew he could discuss. Wizarding law and its effects were factual, nothing emotional about them. And even six years later it was still so ingrained in his personality to have an opinion on academic matters he instantly felt his nerves dissipate. Facts were comfortable. "The Ministry doesn't know how to handle Muggle parents." He told Jimin.

"Wha'?" The younger wizard asked, putting his fork down so he could listen more intently.

"The Ministry doesn't know how to handle Muggle parents." He repeated as though saying the same thing would make Jimin understand more than he had the first time. "They seem to have forgotten how to deal with it. I'm not sure if it's because of the lack of Muggleborns or if the person in charge of that at the Ministry has chosen to make things more difficult."  He glanced up at Jimin for the first time in a while, feeling far more comfortable than he had at any point during the younger wizard's visit. "My opinion is that they closed the department in charge of Muggleborns during the war, but they never reopened it because they didn't think they needed it. And so they’ve failed wizards like you and Taehyung, especially Taehyung, because they don't have a plan in place for students born with one Muggle parent."

The silence that followed left Yoongi with the impression that Jimin didn't have an opinion about what Yoongi had just said. Most people probably didn't, but Yoongi had thought Jimin would have one. At least considering the effect the Ministry's failure had had upon him. Unless Yoongi had misunderstood the situation entirely and had made things weirder than need be.

"I wrote an article about it last month." He mumbled, feeling even more embarrassed once the words had left his mouth. Jimin didn't seem like the sort of person who would care one bit about Yoongi's articles. Whether or not they were published (in part) in the _Daily Prophet._ "It was published."

"I saw y'have a few publications." Jimin commented, not making any mention of the particular article Yoongi had spoken about. "On your wall." He motioned towards a couple of frames Yoongi had hanging up on the furthest wall of the apartment.

His cheeks turned slightly pink. His mother had framed his early publications, and the fact that he hadn't been able to buy any other decorations meant he had simply hung them up when he moved into the flat. Now that there was someone in his home, seeing them, he felt embarrassed that he had ever hung them. "Those are old." He mumbled, feeling humiliated. The last thing he wanted was to seem like some sort of braggart, and he knew that was probably what it seemed like. Bringing up some boring article for no reason.

"I saw one of them was about removing the register for animagi."

His gaze dropped down to his lap. He had been fifteen and had thought the registration of animagi had a pointless waste of Ministry resources. The fact that Peter Pettigrew had been able to blame the murders of twelve Muggles on another simply by transforming into a rat made it clear, in his fifteen year old mind, that the register was pointless. Anyone dedicated enough could become an animagus and simply fail to register and there was nothing the Ministry could do. "Yeah." He muttered, picking up his fork again so he could distract himself with food.

A soft noise came from the other side of the table, and Yoongi hoped the conversation would end. Perhaps he would run off Jimin again and he could deal with his shame on his own. "'ve got a question." Yooni didn't respond to him, not sure he really wanted to give an answer for whatever Jimin wanted to ask. When he didn't respond Jimin seemed to take it as approval for the question. "Do you think someone like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could happen again? I mean, since y’got opinions abou’ things like tha’."

Yoongi sighed. It would be rude not to answer, but he didn't think he had anything particularly worthwhile to add. Opinions meant nothing. With a frown he looked back up at the other wizard. "I think it will."

"Why?"

"Pure-blood supremacy has been around since the time of the founders of Hogwarts, it didn't always have a huge following but it's been there." He started, looking away from Jimin to see what was happening outside his window. Witches and wizards were still walking around Diagon Alley, going to some of the stores that stayed open later than he did. For a second he wondered if he could see Jimin's shop from his window, but shook the thought from his head. "Then there was eleven years without a single Muggleborn student at Hogwarts, plenty of people never had any interaction with one, so now that the population of Muggleborns is increasing people could start having those ideas again."

Jimin frowned, taking in what Yoongi was saying. Even he wasn't sure if his theory made any sense, so he wasn't sure if someone like Jimin would be able to follow his thoughts.

"I know students in my house still thought that students with only one magical parent were somehow less than they were." He stated, frowning a bit. "I don't care." He added quickly, wanting to make sure Jimin didn't think he was one of the students with prejudiced thoughts. "But thoughts of Pure-blood supremacy are still there. And people don't react well to strange things. A lot of people didn't meet any Muggleborns until 2009 or 2010. They might think poorly of them. I'm not sure. If nothing else, he was able to gain followers in '97 after losing in '81." He ended, taking another bite. If he'd had clear thoughts he probably would have written an article about it, trying to dissuade those thoughts from gaining traction once more. “Mostly, what I’m trying to say is, people are always going to be prejudiced. If someone charming enough comes along anything could happen. Including another Grindelwald or another You-Know-Who.”

“Oh.” Jimin’s reaction seemed to indicate that he hadn’t heard what he had wanted to hear. Yoongi understood that, he was certain most people would prefer hearing there was no chance of another war; but Yoongi didn’t believe that was the case. Perhaps the better option would have been to lie.

“Consider this.” He added, looking back at Jimin. “If there was no chance of something like that happening again, why would people still mention what sort of blood they had?”

Jimin seemed to consider his point, nodding as he finished his meal. “You’re Pure-blood.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “As pure as anyone could really be, I suppose.”

 

The next time Yoongi saw Jimin, the younger wizard was holding a copy of _The Quibbler_ and upon closer examination Yoongi realized it was the issue with his most recent article. He felt heat moving up into his cheeks at the thought of Jimin going out to find it. The younger wizard stood by a row of owl perches, watching as Yoongi finished up a sale for a toad (blue with a jewel on its back) before he walked over.

“I found ye’article.” He smiled, holding up the copy of _The Quibbler_. “Figured I’d get y’t’sign it for me.”

A soft chuckle left Yoongi’s lips and he tried to cover up the fact that he was slightly embarrassed. “Why would you want me to sign it?” He asked, smiling as he reached out to take the magazine from the other. “Isn’t that something celebrities do?”

“Y’could be a celebrity if y’wanted to!” Jimin insisted, holding out the magazine. It had a dog ear folded over on the page before Yoongi’s article started. Yoongi placed it down on the counter, a photograph of a man transforming into an animal staring back at him. “A scholar celebrity! Writing brilliant articles tha’ make people think.”

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi grabbed one of his quills. “There’s no such thing as a scholar celebrity. And even if there was, I couldn’t be one.”

“I’d be ye’fan.”

“Why would anyone be the fan of a scholar?”

“Why not?” Jimin grinned brightly, his eyes staying on Yoongi’s face as the elder signed his name onto the article (for whatever reason). “Y’write well, and y’ve got opinions. That’s more than most people can say, isn’t it?”

Yoongi placed the quill back down onto the counter, leaving the magazine open so it could dry. “Is this all you came over for?” He asked, his attention turning to a kneazle who had suddenly chosen to mount one of the cats in the shop. Normally they were better behaved in front of customers, but apparently decided Jimin had come in four times and that meant they could attempt to procreate in front of him. He sighed, but didn’t move to separate them.

With a gasp Jimin’s also turned to face the felines. It wasn’t something most people were unlucky enough to see, and it was probably shocking for anyone seeing it first time.

“Ignore them.” Yoongi told him, turning his gaze back to Jimin. To try and draw Jimin’s attention back to him he closed the magazine and held it out. “Here you are. The first and only autograph I will ever give.”

Eyes still lingering on the felines, Jimin reached out and took it back. “Y’won’t sign ye’future articles for me?” He asked with what looked like a pout on his lips.

“Absolutely not.” If that meant he had to make sure he never wrote another article again in his life, then he would never have an opinion again. It was far too weird having to sign his own works. “Never again.”

“I didn’t come over just to get y’to sign me magazine.” Jimin admitted, and Yoongi was nearly certain he could see color flooding into the younger wizard’s cheeks. “Wanted to ask ye’ another question.” The magazine was slipped into Jimin’s side bag. “A personal one.”

“Go ahead.” Yoongi sat down on the seat behind the counter, unsure what was coming. His interactions with Jimin had been so across the board, the younger wizard could have wanted to ask anything. “I’ll answer just about anything.”

Jimin bit his lip, his eyes dropping to the ground even before he spoke and that made Yoongi nervous. The only time he’d seen any sort of anxiety from Jimin had been when they were discussing You-Know-Who. He was fairly certain he’d made it clear he didn’t have any of those thoughts, but that was the only thing he could think. Perhaps Jimin thought he was some sort of pure-blood supremacist. “When we, um, met. I told y’I was gay.”

“Yeah?”

“Y’aren’t, righ’?”

Oh. Yoongi couldn’t keep himself from letting his jaw go slack. The only reason Jimin would need to know that was if he had some sort of crush on Yoongi, right? Nothing else made sense to him, but even then it didn’t actually made any sense. There was no reason why anyone would have a crush on someone too anxious to leave their own home. Or someone as boring as Yoongi happened to be. Certainly not someone with both of those traits. “What?” He needed to clarify what was being asked of him, the shock preventing him from thinking clearly.

“Y’aren’t gay, righ’?”

Yoongi nodded, and saw Jimin’s face fall. “No, I am.” He corrected quickly, feeling strange even saying it. He hadn’t even considered his own sexuality until he had moved into the shop, but he certainly hadn’t told anyone about it. There hadn’t been a reason to tell anyone. It wasn’t as though there was a chance of him finding a date. “I’m gay.”

“Oh. That’s good.” Jimin nodded his head, patting his bag slightly as he turned to walk out of the store. Yoongi thought about calling out for him, but he didn’t know what to say. Instead he let the shorter male walk out the front door and into whatever world existed outside of Yoongi’s shop.

**Author's Note:**

> Yoongi's N.E.W.T.S. were in:  
> 1\. Transfiguration  
> 2\. Defense Against the Dark Arts  
> 3\. Ancient Runes  
> 4\. Divination  
> 5\. Charms  
> 6\. Care of Magical Creatures  
> 7\. Herbology  
> 8\. Astronomy  
> 9\. Potions
> 
> Yoongi's wand is the same wand that I got on Pottermore, his patronus is also mine tbh. I'm very pleased with the way my Pottermore things came out (I was also Slytherin and Wampus). But the real point is that I love Harry Potter more than anything in the world other than my dog. I love my dog with everything in me tbh. 
> 
> Yoongi's anxiety is also the same as my anxiety about going to my school; but mine is mostly about the fact that I know my school covers up sexual assault and sexual harassment (one student got put on dean's list after he raped another student bc of the difficulty he went through at that time; and I had a professor testify that another student grabbed me inappropriately and tried to kiss me and whatnot and the school didn't even believe him so....) and I get so scared just to go there bc I know what kind of people are up there. /endrant  
> Crookshanks was half-kneazle, and they're basically big smart cats. The cats Yoongi sells are also half-kneazles.  
> "Kneazle  
> M.O.M. Classification: XXX  
> The Kneazle was originally bred in Britain, though it is now exported worldwide. A small cat-like creature with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, outsize ears and a tail like a lion's, the Kneazle is intelligent, independent and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavoury or suspicious characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they are lost. Kneazles have up to eight kittens in a litter and can interbreed with cats. Licenses are required for ownership as (like Crups and Fwoopers) Kneazles are sufficiently unusually in appearance to attract Muggle interest." 
> 
> On that same note, Mrs. Figg was a breeder who sold half-cat half-kneazles to wizards across Great Britain, that's why she had so many cats in her house when she babysat Harry as a young child.
> 
> As a final note, it's hard writing so it seems like the characters have accents. It's amazing when people are able to do it. Good job writers. Good Job. (I focused more on Jimin's bc to Yoongi Jimin would be hard to understand and he'd find himself easy to understand)


End file.
